Blindsided
by Lazy Mary
Summary: When Jamie gets shot stopping a robbery, his family meets the woman in his life. Will they be willing to accept this stranger? Jamie/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first fanfiction, so please, bear with me! This is a Jamie/OC story, set a few episodes in to season 4, and focuses mainly on their relationship, as well as the Reagan family. If anyone has any comments or suggestions, please, feel free to review! Now, enjoy the story…**

When Jamie Reagan awoke in the stark white hospital room, he was blinded by the lights around him as he struggled to sit up.

"Woah son, give it a minute, you've just gotten out of surgery."

Although his eyes were blurry, he didn't need to see, he knew that voice. He allowed the reassuring tone of his father to lull him back into the bed as the darkness took him over once more.

* * *

Spending a Sunday night in July patrolling the streets of New York City was not something anyone took great amounts of joy in, but as a cop, it was part of the job. The combination of both summer and the weekend caused crime rates to go up, and most cops would much rather be spending their time either at home relaxing, or having a bit of fun out on the town. But, alas, not every cop had the luck of getting the weekend off, and today, Jamison "Jamie" Reagan found himself one of the many out on the streets.

"Come on Reagan, you can't tell me that you've never seen the Notebook. Every girl forces her boyfriend to watch it at some point!" Eddie Jenko looked over at her partner from the passenger seat of their cruiser. Despite the fact that the blonde girl had only been partnered with Jamie for a short amount of time, the two had easily fallen into an easy sibling type relationship.

"Well I guess I've just been lucky, none of mine have," Jamie replied with a quick smirk.

"I'll just have to find you one, and make sure I tell her that she needs to watch it with you."

Eddie's reply sparked a small smile to play on the corner of Jamie's lips. His partner had been trying to get him a girlfriend since about 5 minutes after they met, and he found her antics funny, despite the fact that they were all for naught.

" _ALL UNITS, BE AWARE, 211 IN PROGRESS AT THE CORNER OF MADISON AND 79_ _TH_ _,_ " rang from the radio.

"We're close," Jamie told Eddie, as he made a sharp turn towards the robbery as she flipped on the lights and responded that they were on their way.

Moments later, they reached a small, family owned grocery store that delivered to some of the higher class homes in the area. At this time of night, the only people there was a skeleton staff, a cashier manning the phones and counter, and a delivery boy in case there were any late night orders.

The pair parked the cruiser out front, jumping out, and quickly assessing the situation. Inside were two perpetrators, one, a female, had the cashier and delivery boy behind the counter, hands up, with a gun pointed at them, while the male quickly stuffed a bag with money from the register.

The one with the gun on the workers was the first to notice the red and blue lights outside, she shouted at her accomplice, "Get going Duke, the cops are here!"

"Almost done!" The man tried to stuff more money in the bag, hurrying to get all of it.

Jamie, flowed by Eddie, slowly entered the store. Guns at the ready, Jamie went to try and talk down the pair, Eddie on his six. The masked figures quickly turned towards them, the man putting his hands up, while the girl now had her gun on the two officers.

"Put the gun down and turn around," Jamie told the female in a calm, yet stern voice.

"No!" Her shout rang out, followed by the sound one, and then another shot being fired.

At that moment, Jamie's world went black.

* * *

The next time Jamie opened his eyes, he blinked a few times, and adjusted to the lights above him, and took in his surroundings. He saw his father sitting in the chair by the window that let in the early morning light, absorbed in the files in front of him. Instead of calling out to alert his father that he was awake, he just laid there, thinking of the events that had transpired the previous night.

"Oh good, you're awake," his thoughts were interrupted by the incoming nurse, telling his father that he was now awake.

"I'll go get the doctor," the nurse informed them, grabbing his chart and silently exiting the room.

"Jamie," his father said quietly, as he stood and walked to his youngest sons bed side.

"What happened?" Jamie questioned, worried about his partner and the corner store cashier, hoping the robbers didn't get away.

"The women, Tara Stevens, fired a shot at you, just missing your lung," his father sighed. "Jenko got her in the shoulder. Her partner, Phil Porters got away, broke the window, and ran. Danny's out looking for him right now."

Just as Jamie was about to respond, the door burst open, and instead of the nurse and doctor, a young woman with wavy brown hair tied up in a messy up do and brown eyes the same, dressed in a cream colored blouse and a navy blue pencil skirt rushed in. She held a bouquet of flowers in her hands, a beautiful arrangement of white roses and blue forget-me-nots, and she had a look of panic on her face. Her sudden entrance caused both men to look up a her in bewilderment.

"Jamie," she whispered quietly as her eyes peaked through her long bangs and landed on him.

Jamie, now wide eyed and looking at the intruder, tried to suddenly sit up, before groaning in pain and clutching his side.

At his groan, Frank turned back to his son, as the girl quickly set down the flowers, and rushed over to him.

"I'm fine," Jamie reassured, looking at the girl, speaking more of the whole situation, and not just his momentary pain.

"Well, obviously not, seeing as your lying in a hospital bed," she replied in a somewhat snarky tone, giving him a look showing that she did not believe him.

Before Jamie could retort or Frank could question the strange woman that had entered to room, the doctor, followed by the nurse, came in.

"Jamieson, good to see you awake," said the doctor, flipping through the chart as the nurse checked his vitals.

"Uh, just Jamie actually," Jamie said, still looking at the brunette by his side.

"Of course," was the doctors reply, as he looked up from the charts. "Commissioner," he continued with a smile, shaking Frank's hand, "And who might you be?" he asked as he turned to the young women he didn't recognize.

"I was wondering the same thing myself," said Frank, also looking at the young woman that had taken her place at his son's bedside.

The girl looked around the room shyly, as if only now realizing there where others there.

"Oh, I'm Allie, Allie Wheeler."

* * *

New York City was always crowded, no matter what time of the day it was, it was the place that never slept. Early Sunday morning was no exception, and after finishing up a long evening, Jamie found himself aimlessly walking the streets, lost in thoughts.

Buying a quick cup of coffee from Alfie's cart, he mumbled a quick and tired thanks, before walking down the street. He took the top off the cup, Alfie's coffee was always too hot for him, and started to blow on it as he turned the corner, not looking up. Rounding the corner, he ran head first into someone coming quickly around the corner.

"Ah!"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Jamie found then himself down on the sidewalk, his cup of coffee gone from his hands, looking at a brunette woman in active gear right in front of him, covered in his fresh cup of coffee.

"I am so sorry, are you okay?" Jamie asked, quickly standing up and offering his hand to help the girl do the same.

"No I'm not okay, your coffee was hot!" She said, exasperated, but taking his assistance in getting up anyways. She looked down at her brand knew running shirt, a once bright yellow, now stained with brown.

"I know, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Let me go get some napkins really quick, and I'll help you dry off."

A skeptical look quickly fell over the girls face at his suggestion. "No thanks, I was done jogging anyways, besides, I think you've done enough," she said, backing away cautiously.

Her response seemed funny to whoever the man in front of her was, as he burst out laughing, further reassuring her that he was either drunk, unstable, or both.

"So, yeah, thanks," she said, ready to run in the opposite direction.

"No, wait," Jamie said quickly, ending his spurts of laughing. "I promise I'm not so crazy guy, I'm a police officer, see," he said, pulling his badge from his waist. "My name's Jamie Reagan."

Still skeptical, she looked at his badge, and then back to him.

"How do I know that thing is even real?" she questioned.

"Well, if you let me go get those napkins, you can ask Alfie, the coffee vendor, I buy coffee from him practically every day, most of the time in uniform," he replied with a kind smile.

With a quick look around the corner, sure enough, she could see a coffee cart with a man that defiantly looked like an Alfie.

"Fine, but you're buying me a cup, I need one with the way this morning is going."

"Great!" Jamie said, the smile that adorned his face causing one to peek at the corners of her mouth.

"So you now know my name, do I get yours?" Jamie questioned the still mysterious woman as the made their way to the cart.

"Maybe once Alfie over there confirms your little story," she told him, a full smile lighting up her face.

Looking at her as they walked, Jamie couldn't help but smile. Who was this girl, and what was she doing to him? Having just gotten off a 12-hour graveyard shift, he should be trying to get to his apartment for a quick nap before heading to his dad's place for Sunday lunch, but there he was, going to buy a stranger a cup of coffee.

"Jamie, back so soon!" Alfie's booming voice called out as the approached, pulling him from his musings. Alfie was a large man, whose long ago relatives where Irish, still sounded as if he had just come to America himself, something he would play up for the tourists. Jamie had been stopping at his cart frequently since joining the 12th precinct, usually after a long tour, or when he just needed someone to add a little brightness to his more gruesome days.

"Actually, this one spilled his coffee all over me," the girl revealed with a flirtatious smile directed at Alfie.

"Oh my! And he ruined your pretty shirt! Do not worry, Alfie has special coffee stain remover!" Alfie informed them, quickly searching the cabinets of his cart.

"Ah! Mama made it herself, and she learned how from her mama!" he informed them as he pulled out a little Tupperware container that had a yellow soapy liquid in it and handing it over.

"Well you'll have to thank your mama for me, she's saving my new shirt," she said, taking it from him with a smile, making Alfie blush.

"So Jamie here tells me he comes to your cart a lot, said it's the best. Now I just have to try the best coffee New York has to offer," she continued.

"Yes, yes, Jamie always buys a cup when he's working mornings, brings other officers with him, cops are the best business!" Alfie explained as he busied himself making their coffee, missing the triumphant smile Jamie gave the woman, his identity verified.

"Told you Alfie would back up my story. Does this mean I get your name?" Jamie whispered, leaning sideways towards her.

A small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, and without even looking at Jamie, she gave her response.

"Oh, I'm Allie, Allie Wheeler."

 **AN: Yay! First chapter done! I should have the next chapter up sometime within the next couple days. Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I just want to thank all the amazing people that have taken time to review! I appreciate it so much and I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

"Oh, I'm Allie, Allie Wheeler."

The doctor waited a moment longer, seeing if the girl would give any more information, before moving on without a second thought to this Allie character. Quickly, he turned back to Frank.

"Yes, well, your son was very lucky Commissioner, the bullet missed all major arteries and didn't hit any internal organs. We were able to easily remove it, and it has already been handed over to an officer," the doctor stated. "I see no reason why Jamie here can't go home tomorrow morning, after a night of observation. Nurse Sophia here will go over medication, care and such for once at home, and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask me at any time," he continued, handing Frank his business card and giving a quick handshake. Flashing the room a well-rehearsed smile, he walked out the door, confidence in his stride, obviously proud of the connection he just made with the Police Commissioner.

Frank sighed as he pocketed the card, he couldn't even be a worried father without people trying to use him to further themselves. His thought drifted back to the now identified, yet still mysterious brunette, Allie. Looking back at her, next to his son's bedside, she was looking only at him, and him, only at her, seeming as if they were having a silent conversation between them.

"Jamie here will be needing some assistance during the first couple weeks of his recovery, would it be safe for me to assume that he will be staying with you sir?" The nurse questioned him, rousing him from his thoughts.

"Yes, of course Sophia, and please call me Frank," he addressed her with a smile.

"Actually," Jamie interrupted before the nurse could continue, "I'm going to be staying with Allie," he informed them.

"Oh?" Frank questioned, now turning full to look at the pair. Allie looked sheepish, timidly tugging on the hem of her skirt, refusing to look Frank in the eyes, but Jamie on the other hand, was giving his father a long hard stare, determination written on his face.

The nurse, picking up on the unease and tension of the room, quickly acted, "Allie, if you follow me, I can give you Jamie's prescriptions as well as show you had to clean and redress his wound."

With one last look at Jamie, Allie squeezed his hand and followed the nurse from the room. After both females were gone, Frank addressed his son.

"Would you like to tell me who this Allie is exactly?"

"She's my girlfriend," Jamie mumbled, unhappy that he now had to face an inquisition from his father alone, it would have been easier if Allie had stayed in the room.

"How long have you been seeing Miss Wheeler, was it?" Frank continued.

"Yeah. We've been together since September, so about 10 months," a small smile on his face.

"So this is something serious?" Frank questioned, starting to realize how much this young woman meant to his son.

"I love her dad," Jamie stated, not a hint of doubt could be heard in his tone.

"Then why is this the first time I am meeting her? I'm sure neither of your siblings know, they wouldn't have been able to keep their mouths shut," Frank said, letting out a humorless chuckle.

"It's not as if I wanted to keep her a secret," Jamie whispered. "We were both so cautious when we began dating, neither one of us wanted to get hurt. Then, before I knew it, we were 4 months in, and I realized that I loved her. I was so scared that I was going to lose her, that it was going to be like it was with Sydney. If she left me like that, I don't think I would ever be able to get over it."

Frank watched his son as he spoke, he could see the fear in his eyes, the worry and anguish he felt about losing this girl, but he could also see all the love he felt, love that outweighed all of the anxiety he held inside.

"Oh Jamie," was heard from the door, causing both men to suddenly look at the intrusion, and seeing the object of their conversation standing there, with a sad smile on her face.

"You silly, silly man. Here you are, lying in a hospital bed, and you're worried about losing me?" She questioned, walking over to the two.

"Sorry?" Jamie said, smiling up at her as she deposited the bag of medical supplies and took her place at his bed side.

"Allie, I'd like to introduce you to my father, Frank Reagan, dad, this is my girlfriend, Allie Wheeler," Jamie told the two nervously.

"It's very nice to meet you young lady," Frank said, a warm smile on his face, his hand out stretched.

"And you sir, I've heard so much about you from Jamie," Allie said, taking his hand, her nervous smile betraying her confident tone.

"It would seem that you have the advantage then, please, tell me a little about yourself."

* * *

"So, tell me about yourself," Jamie said, walking beside Allie, sipping his new cup of coffee as they entered a small city park by Alfie's cart.

"You don't have to do this you know," Allie said, walking along, not looking at Jamie as she spoke. "You've done your civic duty as a police officer, and as a gentleman, but I'm not going to jump your bones or anything now, I'm not looking for a fling, or even a relationship right now."

"I wasn't actually expecting you to 'jump my bones,' as you've put it, and I wasn't really looking for a relationship either, but I'm not one to pass up something, possibly great, that's right in front of me," Jamie explained, carefully watching her almost blank expression, save for the tiny flicker of a smile trying to come out.

"How do you know that it could be something great?" Allie questioned in a voice that reminded him of the way small children spoke when they tried to act like they weren't scared.

"I'm don't," he said with a smile, causing her head to whip towards him, finally allowing him to fully capture her attention as they stopped walking, staring at each other. "But I could walk away today, never trying, and miss what could be, or I could try, and it could be nothing, or it could be amazing. Missing that chance, is worse than taking it, and losing it, because at least then you had it for a little bit, and you can remember how great it was, and relish in those moments."

"Well," Allie nervously declared, "I wouldn't want to miss something great. I just hope you can live up to my expectations, they're pretty high after that little speech," she finished with a smile.

* * *

"As much as I would love to stay and chat Mr. Reagan," Allie started.

"Please, call me Frank," he interrupted, with an amused smile, as Jamie let out a chocked laugh.

"Frank then, I really do need to get back to work, I kind of left in a hurry," she stated, looking down at Jamie. "I'll be back around 7:00, and then again in the morning to pick you up," she finished with a smile.

"Well, I would love to get coffee sometime this week," Frank said, pulling out his personal card. "Why don't you give me a call tomorrow morning after you've picked up Jamie, and we'll set something up," he finished, handing her the card.

"Dad, go easy on her," Jamie berated his father.

"Don't worry about it Jamie," she told him, before turning to Frank, "I would love to get coffee, and look forward to it. Now, I should get going, it was wonderful meeting you Frank," she said, going to shake his hand, but being pleasantly surprised by a small hug. She then leant down to give Jamie a quick kiss, and exchange hushed "I love you's" to each other, before leaving the room with a wave and a smile. Both men waited a few seconds, staring at the door she had just walked out of.

"Well she seems like a fine gal," Frank stated, looking at his son.

"Yeah," Jamie whispered to himself, before looking back up at his father.

"I do hope to see her at Sunday dinner soon," he mused, "I think it would be good for the rest of the family to meet her."

I don't know dad, you know Danny and Erin are gonna be hard on her, they've never been good with newbies," Jamie told his father.

"Well we'll just have to wait and see," Frank said. "Now why don't you get some sleep; you know they'll be stopping by soon."

"Fine," Jamie said, "but don't go telling them anything about her, not yet."

"I won't, now sleep, that's an order."

* * *

The next time Jamie woke up, it was to a nurse standing above him, putting a new IV bag on the rack.

"Good evening Officer Reagan," she told him, "I hope you had a good nap, there are lots of people here to see you." He then became aware of all the people in his room, it seemed his entire family was there.

"Hey kid," Danny said, walking to the bed, "you scared us for a second there."

"We're all glad you're okay," Erin continued, breaking the invisible wall that was keeping everyone back, as the kids then rushed over to him.

"Did it hurt Uncle Jamie?" Jack questioned him, jumping on the foot of the.

"Ah, yeah, but it's not so bad now, doctor's got me good as new," Jamie told the him, moving his legs to the side, making room for Sean to get on the bed, next to his older brother.

"Do you need anything? I could get you something to eat, the nurse said you could eat some plain solids" Nicki offered, taking her uncle's hand.

"That actually sounds great Nick, why don't you and the boys go down to the cafeteria, see if they have any blue jello for me?" He asked her.

"No problem Uncle Jamie," she told him with a smile, before turning and addressing the boys, "Come on guys, let's go."

"After the three kids left, Jamie turned to his older brother, "Did you get the guy that was with the girl?"

"Yeah," Danny informed him, "Caught him at a bus station a couple hours ago, trying to skip town. The girl, Tara, is in the hospital, she has an officer on her right now, and she'll be good to go in the morning, your partner got her good."

"Enough on that, what did the doctor say?" Erin asked, stopping the boys from going any further.

"He said I'm fine, I promise," Jamie told her, trying to calm her worried look.

"You better be telling the truth," she told him sternly.

"Ah, Dad tell her," he begged, turning to his father.

"I wouldn't use the word 'fine,'" Frank said, earning a groan in frustration form Jamie. "But he did say that Jamie could go home in the morning, and that he just needed to take some time to let his body fully heal," he ended with a smile at his children's antics.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: So… Here's chapter 3, I hope everyone likes it. So far it's the longest chapter, but there's no flashbacks of Allie and Jamie in this one... but I promise some in the next chapter! Don't forget to review!**

When Allie arrived the next morning, all Jamie wanted to do was sleep in an actual bed. Despite the fact that he had been sleeping for the past 12 hours, that was from multitude of drugs coursing through him, and did nothing to aid his tired self.

As Allie was at the nurse's station, signing his release forms, a nurse was helping him into a loose fitting grey t-shirt, telling him what every nurse he had seen that morning had already said.

"Now, you'll have to be very careful about not contorting your body in ways that would pull at your stitches. Your bandages need to be redone about every 12 hours, once when you wake up, and again before you fall asleep," the man droned one. At this point, Allie had reentered the room, and seemed to be listening intently to the nurse, so Jamie drowned him out, and just watched her.

"You'll have to sleep flat on your back, and shouldn't put pressure on your wound," the nurse continued. "Did you get all that Officer?" he questioned, turning back to Jamie, rousing him from his musings.

"Oh yeah, got it all," Jamie said, looking back at the nurse, who gave him a quick smile and a nod, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Allie glaring at him, she knew he wasn't listening at all.

"Great, then if you would just sign here, you're free to go," the nurse informed him, handing him a clipboard. After giving it a quick sign, Jamie was helped into a wheelchair, and taken outside to a waiting cab.

Getting out of the wheelchair was a little harder than Jamie cared to admit, and the few steps from that to the yellow cab felt like a marathon, but Jamie kept his face void of all pain, less they decide to keep him for another day. As soon as the doors closed, and the driver started into the swarm of others trying to navigate the city's traffic, he allowed his head to fall back against the seat, and his eyes to close.

"If you were in pain, you should have told the nurses," Allie reprimanded him.

"It's not that big a deal," Jamie said, still not opening his eyes or moving his head.

"I can give you some pain relievers when we get back to my apartment," she told him with a sigh. "I have to get to work after I drop you off, so you should probably take a nap, and I'll leave something for you to eat when you wake up."

"Thank you, for doing all of this," Jamie told her, finally opening his eyes and looking at the woman next to him. After a rushed early morning, he finally had a chance to take her all in, she had left her down, her favorite sunglasses perched on top of her head and her normal business attire of a pale pink blouse and a tan pencil skirt.

She turned her own head to give him a soft smile and told him, "That's just the way these things work."

After the grueling cab ride, they finally made it to Allie's apartment in Midtown, Manhattan, it was a little older building, but it was well kept, and the neighborhood wasn't too bad. Allie liked the complex, but her lease was up in a little over a month, and the couple had decided that she would move into Jamie's apartment, instead of resigning. It was a 12 floor building, and Allie lived on the 8th floor, luckily there was an elevator, and Jamie wouldn't have to walk all the way up.

Allie jumped out of the cab after paying, with a quick "thank you" to the driver, and rushed over to Jamie's side, before he tried to get out on his own. Opening his door, she allowed him to put his arm around her as she helped him up, and inside the building. She tried to make it seem like they were just an affectionate couple with their arms around each other, knowing Jamie would hate looking like he wasn't able to even walk on his own.

Once they reached her apartment, she led him over to the couch in the living room, letting him settle in.

"Okay, so here are your pain meds, and you need to take them with a full glass of water," Allie started, arranging all his medical items on the coffee table, and going into the kitchen. "Do you think they mean exactly eight ounces, or just a normal glass full of water?" she yelled to him.

"I don't think it really matters, just some water," Jamie replied, before questioning her himself, "Are you actually going to call my dad today?"

"Well, probably, he did ask me to, it would be rude if I didn't," she said as she walked back in with a full cup. "Open," she commanded, putting two pills in his mouth when he complied.

"He won't get mad if you don't, I'm sure he half expects you to ignore it," he told her, taking the water and slowly drinking it, his eyes not leaving her.

"I know, but I do want to make a good impression, he is your dad after all," she said, ringing her hands as she spoke. "I feel bad that I'm only now meeting him, which I am sorry about," taking his glass as he finished.

"It's more my fault than yours, and he knows it," Jamie reassured her, "He'll love you."

"You think?" she questioned him, getting her briefcase and smoothing her outfit down. "I hope so. Now, you try and sleep, call me if you need anything, and Mr. Rudzik down the hall said that he could help if we need him."

"Go to work, I'll be fine," Jamie said, giving her a small wave as she left, then falling straight to sleep.

* * *

Allie had been working at Skidmore Owings & Merrill since graduating with her architectural degree from Ohio State University 6 years earlier. It was a large firm, and though she started as an intern, she had finally made it to being a designer in the Remodeling and Restoration department. She worked mainly with older buildings that were being redone, as well as making newer buildings have an older, more classic, look to them.

Arriving at her desk that morning, Allie filtered through the different papers on her desk, the projects she was already working on, and even a new project to begin. Her supervisor, Sylvia, wasn't in yet, so she decided to make the call to Frank now, instead of waiting till she took her lunch break. Pulling out his card, she dialed his number.

"Commissioner Reagan," was what greeted her after two rings.

"Um, hello sir. This is Allie Wheeler," she said to him in a questioning voice, wondering if this was even a good idea. Maybe she should have taken Jamie's advice, and ignored the card.

"Yes, Miss Wheeler, I'm so glad to hear from you," he said, in a much friendlier tone, as she heard what she assumed was his chair scooting back.

"Oh, just Allie, please," she informed him.

"Just as long as you remember to call me Frank. Now, tell me, how has your morning been so far?" he questioned her.

"Good, I, uh, picked up Jamie this morning and took him back to my apartment, he had his meds, and should be napping right now," she informed Frank nervously, hoping he wouldn't insist Jamie stay with him. "I just got to work myself," she continued, seeing Sylvia walking into her own office.

"That sounds good," he said conversationally. "Now, on to the real reason I wished for you to call. I would love to get to know the beautiful woman my son is so enamored with. Would you be willing to have coffee with me on Thursday?" he asked politely.

"Um, sure, I'm pretty busy during the day, is 5:00 okay? That's when I get off work," she answered.

After some mumbling on his end, Frank replied, "That would be lovely, would you like me to pick you up?" he offered.

"Sure, I mean yes, that would be great," Allie said, stumbling over her words.

"Perfect," he said, "I look forward to seeing you," and with that, he hung up.

"Okay," Allie said, looking down at her now blank phone.

* * *

Having Jamie staying at her apartment was easier than she thought. Despite the fact that he was antsy during the evenings when she got home, he slept a good portion of the day, and when he was awake, he raided her pantry and movie collection. Unfortunately, in the two days he had been there, he was running out of selection.

"Do you have to go in today? Maybe you should skip and we could go to the park or something," Jamie tried to convince her as she was getting ready for the day.

"You wouldn't last 15 minutes walking around a park," Allie informed him, slipping into her heels, "Only sitting activities for you. Hey, why don't I drop you off at your dad's place, you can play chess with your grandpa or something."

"Huh," Jamie replied from his place on the couch that he had barely left in the past 48 hours, watching Allie dance around the kitchen, preparing her lunch. "That would actually be perfect, you don't mind?"

"Of course not, I can be a little late today, I told Sylvia what happened. We can catch a cab and head over, and I'll just pick you up when I get done today," she said, coming back into the living room, and placing his meds in front of him.

"Okay, let me call Pops," Jamie said, taking his pills as he pulled out his phone.

After calling his pops and getting the go ahead, Jamie and Allie quickly left the apartment and hailed a cab.

"Freedom!" Jamie exclaimed once they were safely in the back seat and speeding away.

"My apartment wasn't that bad Jamie, you love my apartment," Allie sighed.

"When you're there, it's great, but you don't have many movies and I get bored easily," Jamie said, "I've never been good at sitting still and doing nothing."

"I've noticed," Allie said sarcastically. "I just hope you'll be less of a pain this evening now."

"No promises," Jamie winked.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Allie broached a subject she had been trying to avoid.

"I have coffee with your dad today," Allie stated nervously, not looking at Jamie.

"I know," Jamie whispered, Allie's head jerking to look at him. "My dad called Tuesday, making sure I was okay with him trying to get to know you. I told him, if it wasn't what you wanted, you wouldn't have said yes, that's all that's important," he continued.

"You're still not happy about it," she commented.

"A big part of me really wants you to get to know my family, but another part is scared. I love my family, but they can be a little much, especially Danny and Erin, I just don't want them to scare you off," Jamie confessed.

Allie reached between them and took his hand in hers, "If I haven't been scared off yet, then it's not going to happen."

When they reached the red brick house, Allie went to pay the cabbie, and Jamie decided that he could get out of the cab by himself. Once Allie realized what he was doing, she rushed to get out and help him, as he was stuck half out of the car, and he couldn't get any further.

"You really should have just waited for me," Allie giggled as she allowed Jamie to use her as support to get the rest of the way out.

"Go ahead, laugh it up," Jamie mumbled.

"Come on," Allie said, still smiling, as they made their way to the front door.

When they reached the front door, Allie made her way to ring the bell, before being intercepted by a laughing Jamie dangling a set of keys in front of her. Jamie quickly unlocked the door before making his way inside, Allie hesitantly following.

"Pops!" Jamie yelled, followed by a muffled "In here," coming from the living room. Jamie gave Allie a reassuring smile as he grabbed her hand and lead her further into the house.

Once there, Allie saw an elderly man setting up a chess set in the middle of the room across from a couch all set up for Jamie. A pillow and throw blanket were set on one arm, and a small table next to it had a glass of water, the TV remote, and some books.

"Jamie!" The man exclaimed, turning around as the pair made their way into the room. "And his mysterious lady friend," he continued when he noticed Allie.

"Nice to meet you sir, I'm Allie," she said, a blush adorning her cheeks, going to shake his hand.

"Please, call me Henry, all the pretty girls do," he added with a small wink, taking her hand in both of his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Pops," Jamie groaned, lowering himself onto the couch, but smiling none the less.

"Lighten up Jamie, I'm just getting to know your friend," Henry continued to tease Jamie, "I do hope I'll be seeing more of her in the future," he added, his voice turning a little more serious.

"I can assure you, you will, but until then, I need to get to work," Allie informed both men, then turning to speak directly to Henry. "Jamie's meds are in here," she informed him, handing him a bag, "he took them his pain pills this morning, and can't have them again till around 6:00, and he'll be needing them at that point. He needs to take the antibiotics when he eats, and his bandage shouldn't need to be re-wrapped unless he pulls it." Allie fused, making sure they had everything they needed.

"Don't worry, this isn't my first rodeo," Henry told her, trying to ease her worrying.

"You need to get to work Allie," Jamie reminded her.

"Right, I'll be back around 7:00," Allie told them, grabbing her purse, and turning to leave.

"I look forward to seeing you again," Henry told her.

"Have a good day," Jamie told her, as she went to give him a quick kiss before she left. "And good luck," he told her, hoping her coffee with his father went well.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So, I have to start this chapter off with an apology... I was on vacation for most of May, and did not bring my computer! So I did absolutely no writing... Sorry! I've just now been able to get back in the swing of my writing, and this chapter is the product of that, so, enjoy!**

"She's pretty," Henry said as soon as Allie was out the door.

"Pops," Jamie groaned, throwing his head back on the couch.

"I'm just sayin," he shrugged, smiling at his grandson.

"How about we just play a game of chess?" Jamie propositioned hopefully, gesturing to the set in front of him.

"Come on, tell me something," Henry plead as he sat down on the other side of the board. "Francis has been very tight lipped about her, just saying you were staying with her."

"Good, it's not his job to tell people," Jamie mumbled, making his first move and starting the game.

"No, it's your job to introduce her to the family," Henry stated firmly.

"I know, I know," Jamie sighed.

"Then tell me a little bit, just what you feel like sharing," Henry prompted.

And so, as the game went on, and one turned into two, and then a third, Jamie told his Grandfather about the woman in his life. He told him what he had told his father about her, but not many facts on her or them as a couple, instead, he talked about how he felt about her, about how they visited Alfie's cart at least once a week, about how her laugh could bring a smile to his face after a long shift. The whole time, his grandpa listened, throwing in paralleling stories of his Betty, and the two wasted the morning away talking like school boys with their first crushes.

* * *

After a few games of chess, the two men were interrupted by the front door opening loudly.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Danny's voice rang through the house.

"In the living room," Henry called out to him.

"The prodigal son has returned!" Danny teased his younger brother when he made his way into the room and saw Jamie on the couch.

"Ha ha Danny," Jamie said sarcastically, standing to give his brother a hug.

"Good to see you kid," Danny said, giving his brother a once over, "How you holding up?"

"I'm fine Danny, ready to get back to the job," Jamie told him, earning a disbelieving look as he sat back in the couch.

"Yeah, sure. I brought you house wives some lunch," Danny said, lifting up a bag with the logo of a sandwich shop not far from the house.

"Thank you Daniel," Henry said, quickly grabbing the bag and taking it to the kitchen.

"Don't run off with that Pops, we need to eat too!" Danny yelled after him, observing Jamie to make sure he was okay walking to the kitchen all right.

"So, you trying to act all tough, staying at your apartment instead of here?" Danny asked Jamie once they were in the kitchen, pulling out their sandwiches.

"Daniel," Henry berated him, digging in to his own sandwich.

"It's not like that Danny," Jamie said, playing along with the story his father must have spun.

"Really? Cause dad said we weren't allowed to bother you at your place," Danny informed him. "But this isn't your place, so I can bug you all I want," he continued, smiling around his sandwich.

"Just didn't want anyone making a fuss," Jamie grumbled.

"We're family kid, it's our job to make a fuss," Danny told him.

* * *

Allie could hardly focus on her work throughout the day. Her thoughts kept wandering to her coffee meeting with her boyfriend's father. After 10 months of dating Jamie, she had heard a lot about Frank, as a Father, as a police Commissioner, and as a person in general. Frank was an important part of Jamie's life, more so than many fathers are in their adult children's lives, especially in this day and age. Allie wanted nothing more than to get Frank's approval, but after keeping their relationship private for so long, she was scared that there was already a mark against her.

As 5:00 neared, Allie grew more and more nervous. She was constantly fidgeting with her outfit, one she spent over an hour on deciding the night before, a turquoise pencil skirt with a floral top. She was hoping the vibrant colors would both give her the confidence she needed, as well as show Frank that she was not the too serious type like Jamie's past failed relationship that Frank was not keen on.

At exactly 4:55, Allie was waiting nervously, ready to go physically, and preparing herself mentally, when her phones ringtone made her jump. She scrambled for the phone, seeing it was Frank, before picking up.

"Hello?" she answered, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she really was.

"Allie, I've just arrived and am out front if you're ready to go? If not, I can come up to wait," Frank's calm voice answered from the other end.

She took a deep breath, "That's okay, I'm all done. I'll be right down."

Making her way through the lobby, it took all of Allie's will power not to run and hide as she saw Frank standing in front of a black town car through the glass doors.

When she stepped out the doors and Frank saw her, he gave her a kind smile, opening the back door of the car for her.

"It's so wonderful to see you again," he said as she made her way to him.

"As well as you Frank," Allie replied, sliding into the car, Frank following right after her.

"There is a coffee shop not far from here that has a delicious coffee cake if you would like to try a slice" Frank said while the car took off, the driver already having his instructions.

"That sounds perfect," Allie replied.

"I heard that Jamie was at the house for the day," Frank said nonchalantly, surprising Allie.

"Oh, yes. He's, uh, been getting a little bored during the day, I thought it would be nice for him to spend the day with his grandpa," Allie told him nervously.

"I'm sure that both of them will enjoy the company," Frank said, "Ah, we're here."

As soon as the car stopped, Frank was stepping out of the car, holding the door open for Allie, who rushed to follow. Frank then confidently led her inside and to a both in the back of the shop, it was obvious to her that this was a spot that he visited often. Moments after they sat down, a waiter hurried over to take their order.

"Hello Commissioner," the waiter addressed Frank, "What can I get for you today?"

"A cup of decaf Jonathan," Frank ordered, then both men turned to Allie.

"Earl Gray with lemon?" Allie asked, hoping the tea would calm her nerves.

"And two slices of coffee cake as well," Frank added.

"I'll get that right out to you," Jonathan said, hurrying off to fill out the order.

Left alone, Frank turned his attention fully to Allie.

"Allie, you are a big part of my youngest son's life, and I believe that the two of us should be completely honest with one another."

"Of course, I would never be anything less than honest with you," Allie replied to Frank, nervous at where the conversation was already heading.

"Wonderful," Frank said with a smile. "Ah, and here are our drinks. Thank you Jonathan," Frank said, turning to the waiter as he set down the coffee and tea.

"Your welcome sir. If you need anything else, I'll be more than happy help," leaving the two with a single look as he left.

Allie raised her tea to take a sip, and as she was lowering it down to its saucer, Frank spoke.

"I ran a background check on you, after we met on Monday," Frank informed her.

At his words, Allie paused her movement, before allowing her shaky hands to place her cup down.

"You underestimate Jamie," Allie told him, more calm than she had been since getting out of work. "He ran a background check not to long after we started dating, and found the same thing you did, nothing."

"I'm sure you can understand the position I am in," Frank told her. "My family is very important to me, and I try to do everything I can to ensure their safety, both physically and mentally."

"And I respect that," she replied.

"I'm glad we're on the same page then," Frank said, taking a sip of his coffee. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you two have been so closed off about your relationship?"

"Are you asking me because you know Jamie won't answer?" Allie asked.

"He told me his reasons," he replied evenly.

"I guess you could say that we've both been burned in the past," Allie answered, her tone implying that that was all to be said on the subject.

* * *

As September turned to October, the leaves began to change to vibrant yellows and oranges and the temperature went from a comfortable cool to an uncomfortable chill. People were breaking out their heavier coats and wool scarves in preparation for the upcoming winter. Despite the weather changes, Allie and Jamie's coffee outings were growing more and more frequent.

"Ah! My favorite customers!" Alfie exclaimed, seeing the pair approaching his cart, something they did often when Jamie's shift would end when Allie wasn't working, and neither had any other obligations. The habit they had picked up in the past few weeks was meant to be something they did once a week, but had quickly grown to be every couple of days. The two would walk around the city, sharing stories of their childhood, talking about their families, giving their thoughts on any topic they could think of.

"Hey Alfie," Jamie greeted the boisterous man with a big smile, Allie too giving a smile and a small wave as they approached. Reaching the cart, they saw that Alfie was already making their order.

"My wife made some delicious vanilla cake yesterday, as if she thinks I do not eat enough!" He told them, handing them their drinks and patting his belly. "I brought some for you both," Alfie continued, bringing a container from under his cart, which Jamie eagerly took, popping the top to take a peek.

"This looks delicious Alfie!" Jamie exclaimed, grabbing some forks from the cart, ready to dig in.

"You'll have to thank your wife for us Alfie," Allie told the man.

"Yes, yes, I will. Now you two go off and enjoy your time together, leave this old man be," Alfie said, waving the pair off.

As the two walked around the city, Jamie put his arm around Allie's shoulders, sipping their coffee as they went. After a while, Jamie broke their silence.

"Would you be willing to move our coffee dates to maybe a dinner date?" Jamie said, broaching the topic.

"I don't know Jamie," Allie sighed.

"You've been hesitating ever since we met," Jamie accused.

"I'm sorry for that," she apologized. "You knew going in to this that I was guarded."

"I know, and its fine, you don't have to apologize," Jamie assured her. "I'm just wondering if you would be willing to tell me why, if you're comfortable with it."

"I moved to the city right after I graduated college," Allie started her story. "I was so optimistic about what my life would be like here, but I was also naïve," she paused, looking at Jamie, who gave her a reassuring smile, prompting her to continue. "After almost a year of living here, I met Dale. He was older, charming, a successful man on Wall Street, and I couldn't help but fall for him. We dated for two years, and I thought it was perfect, I thought he was the one, you know?"

"What happened?" Jamie asked quietly.

"He left his phone at my apartment," Allie told him with a humorless laugh. "It kept beeping, turns out his wife was trying to get a hold of him."

"Oh my gosh," Jamie breathed out.

"I haven't really dated anyone since," Allie admitted.

"Well I can assure you that I've never been married," Jamie assured her with a smile, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "But I was engaged once," he continued more solemnly.

"Really?" Allie said, turning to look him in the eyes.

"It was a few years ago, we met at Harvard, and I proposed at graduation," Jamie said, sharing his own past. "Then Joe died on the job," Jamie continued, this time Allie was the one offering her comfort, knowing how hard the topic that he had shared with her the previous week was for him.

"When I joined the force, she couldn't handle it, she didn't sign up for being a cop's wife, I was a different person after joining. We didn't fit each other's lives anymore. She got married to an associate at her firm a couple years ago, and I'm happy for them," Jamie ended with a small smile.

"Aren't we a broken pair," Allie joked, both smiling at the other.

* * *

As the evening crept on, and coffee came to an end, Frank felt that he did know Jamie's girlfriend better, but much of her was still a mystery, as if she was holding back on her and Jamie.

"I'm under the impression that Jamie has been spending the day with my pops," Frank said to Allie, as they stood to leave.

"Yes, he has. He's been antsy, having nothing to do," she replied, putting on her sweater.

"Well then, since we are both headed to the same place, how would you like a ride?" he offered her.

"That would be wonderful," she smiled, following him out to where his car was waiting, and climbing in after him.

After a quite ride that bordered on awkward to Allie, the car stopped in front of the Raegan house. Before Allie could get out of the car, Frank stopped her.

"How would you like to join the family on Sunday for lunch?" He asked the stunned girl.

"This, this Sunday?" Allie clarified and confirmed with a small nod from Frank. "Um, if Jamie is okay with it," she continued, unease seeping into her words.

"I'm sure he will be," Frank said, sounding almost as if Jamie would not have a voice in the decision.

The pair then climbed out of the car and headed into the house.

* * *

Jamie was in the living room, a forgotten game of chess between him and his grandfather, when they heard the door open, and his father called out to them. As the two stood to greet him, they were surprised to find Frank and a nervous Allie in the entry.

"Hey dad," Jamie said to Frank, before going over to Allie and giving her a questioning look, that she responded to with a small smile.

Henry, picking up on the tension in the room, went and grabbed Jamie's bag.

"Allie, if Jamie is bugging you, don't hesitate about dropping him off for a few hours, we had a great time," he told her, giving her a small wink, and earning a smile in return.

"Thanks Pops," Jamie said, "We should really get going though, it's getting late. I'll see you later Pops, Dad," he continued giving each men a smile goodbye.

"It was wonderful meeting you Henry, and thank you for the coffee Frank," giving them her goodbye, before helping Jamie out the door.


End file.
